Nova Villa’s ‘mission’

Curtain-raisers:

• Oops! Donna Cruz’s husband, Yong Larrazabal, is not a dentist as Funfare wrongly mentioned the other day but an ophthalmologist who holds a clinic at the family-owned hospital in Cebu. "It was Yong who treated my eyes," said Donna who wore a gown by Philip Rodriguez (and not, as many Funfare readers thought, fellow Cebuana Monique Lhuillier) at the recent Film Academy/Luna Awards.

• Internet readers of Funfare (one of them Flordeliza Javier of Cayman Islands) were perplexed by the absence of the letter "h" in May 21’s column, making them wonder if I was writing in a language from Outer Space. Something went wrong somewhere (I don’t know what) in the transmission, thus that "strange" column. So sorry.

• The sleepy town of Sta. Elena, Camarines Norte will be jolted wide-awake when Diana Zubiri and Juliana Palermo go there for benefit concert on Friday, May 27, upon the invitation of Salve Asis (one of Sta. Elena’s pride). Proceeds from the concert, made possible by Diana and Juliana’s manager Jojo Gabinete, will go to the construction of the retablo of the Sta. Elena Parish Church whose parish priest is Fr. Rodel Rempillo. The town mayor is Dominador Mendoza.

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Many comedians make people laugh for the sake of making them laugh. After the laughter, what?

But in Nova Villa’s case, making people laugh extends beyond merely tickling their funnybone. It’s also a healing process. Or, as Nova calls it, "a mission."

Fans are familiar with Nova as the A-lister TV comedienne with whom many of them have grown up with. But not many of them are aware that Nova’s comic "mission" continues long after the credits of the many sitcoms she stars in have rolled off the small screen.

"The fans call me, mostly the elderly," said Nova, "and they thank me profusely for making them laugh. Even for a while daw, nawala ang lungkot nila sa buhay. Those who are sick naman claim that after watching me on TV, their pain becomes more bearable; nababawasan daw ang sakit nila."

Often, according to Nova, she would visit her sick fans at home. Once, she even took care of a sick fan for six years. She has become, in a sense, a care-giver. A true comedienne with a "mission."

It’s because Nova is a basically happy and religious person (she’s a St. Philomena devotee) who leaves everything to God, harboring no ill feelings ("Storing up resentment and negative feelings is bad for the health, sabi ng duktor") and shedding excess (emotional) baggage.

"I have always had a happy disposition," admitted Nova who has been around since time immemorial. "Lahat ng kilos ko, lahat ng nangyayari sa buhay ko, sad or happy, painful or joyful, pinasasa-Diyos ko. You know, Thy will be done!"

Now into her late ’50s, Nova is Novelita Villanueva in real life. She has a daughter named Jeanny Ann (whose father is not, contrary to general suspicion, the late FPJ but a character actor), now married to a Fil-Am and living with her family (four children, including a set of twins) in the US.

Active for more than four decades now, Nova started as a bit player at Sampaguita Pictures along with the Stars ’66 (Gina Pareno, Shirley Moreno, Loretta Marquez, Blanca Gomez, Rosemarie Sonora, Dindo Fernando, Edgar Salcedo, Pepito Rodriguez, Bert Leroy Jr. and Ramil Rodriguez, until she was re-discovered by FPJ and launched as his leading lady in Daniel Barrion.

Before long, Nova was making a name as a TV comedienne, strarting with Ang Mahiwagang Daigdig ni Doray topbilled by Nida Blanca ("Nasa Roxas Boulevard pa noon ang ABS-CBN," said Nova), shifting to Channel 5 in a sitcom with Luis Gonzales and then IBC 13 for Chicks to Chicks, before going back to ABS-CBN where she has stayed put, cast in sitcoms like Abangan ang Susunod na Kabanata (which lasted for 10 years), Home Along da Riles (two years), Kaya ni Mister/Kaya ni Misis (with Maricel Soriano and Cesar Montano), Mary Potter (also with Maricel) and now the new weekly sitcom My Juan and Only (with, among others, Randy Santiago, Ai Ai delas Alas, John Prats and Vhong Navarro) which premieres on Saturday, May 28 (after Nginiiig).

Asked what the secret of her durability is, Nova herself wondered.

"I guess it’s my being natural and original. I have my own style; hindi ako nanggagaya."

And, of course, the fact that she has a "mission" helps sustain her, too.

HK popular ad girl is a Pinay

If you happen to be in Hong Kong and you see a Filipina-looking girl in the Pepsi billboards and commercials (actually, released internationally after having been aired on cable TV’s Chinese Hollywood Channel), your guess is right that she is, indeed, a Filipina.

Funfare contributor Michael David Tan identifies the girl as none other than eight-year-old Patricia Louise Lopez (or simply Tish). In the first ad, a wizard is helped by two kids representing Fire and Ice. Playing the adult Ice is Vaness Wu, with Tish playing the kiddie Fire. In the later part of the story, Tish plays a little princess and her co-stars include such other HK superstars as Aaron Kwok, Sammy, Edison Chen, Jay Chou and Jolin.

Michael wrote that Tish was offered the role a year ago by an agent who chanced upon Tish and her family at the Holy Rosary Church in Kowloon. Tish’s mom Teena told Michael that the agent arranged a VTR for Tish. The final call came a year later.

Tish is a third-grader at the Stella Maris Academy in Davao. She loves reading books by Laura T. Wilder, Witch magazines and the Little House series. She’s the older of two daughters. She grew up in Hong Kong where her parents work.

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